D-Day

The Landings of Normandy were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during WW2 named Operation Neptune, which is mostly called D-day, it is the largest seaborne invasion in history of mankind, not to be confused with The Battle of Cape Economus (largest naval battle). It began the liberation of France, and the rest of Western Europe, and paved the way to Allied victory in Western Europe.

Planning began in 1943. months before the invasion, the Allies made a substantial military deception, code named Operation bodyguard, to trick the Germans as to the date and location of the Allied landings. The weather on D-Day was not the best nor good, and the operation had to be delayed for a day and a further postponement would equal a delay of at least two weeks, as the planners had requirements for the phase of the moon, the tides, and time of day, that meant only a few days each month were deemed suitable. Adolf H1tler placed Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in command of German forces and made defenses along the Atlantic Wall thinking there would be an invasion. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt placed Major General Dwight D. Eisenhower in command of Allied forces.

The amphibious landings were preceded by air and naval bombardment and an airborne raid which was the landing of 24,000 American, British, and Canadian soldiers right after midnight. Allied soldiers and armored divisions began landing on the coast of France at 6:30. The target 50-mile (80 km) stretch of Normandy was divided into five areas aclled Utah, Ohama, Gold, Juno, and Sword. Strong winds blew the landing craft away of their intended positions, mostly at Utah and Omaha. The men landed under heavy fire from gun emplacements overlooking the beaches, and the shore was mined and covered with obstacles such as wooden stakes, metal tripods, and barbed wire, making the work of the beach-clearing teams difficult and dangerous. Casualties were heaviest at Omaha, with its high cliffs. At Gold, Juno, and Sword, several fortified towns were cleared in house to house fighting, and two major gun emplacements at Gold were disabled using specialized tanks.

The Allies failed to achieve any of their goals on the first day. Carentan, Saint Lo, and Bayeux remained in German hands, and Caen, a major objective, was not captured until 21 July. Only two of the beaches (Juno and Gold) were linked on the first day, and all five beachheads were not connected until 12 June; however, the operation gained a foothold that the Allies expanded over the months. German casualties on D-Day have been estimated at 4,000 to 9,000 people. Allied deaths were said to be 10,000, with 4,414 confirmed dead.